The global energy and resource crisis: need for a more humane and appropriate development

Abstract

The present global energy crisis is not only a problem of energy supply or the over-rapid depletion of the world's non-renewable resources, but also a consequence of the development process in the industralised countries which has relied heavily on squandering the available world energy inputs, especially in the past three decades. This massive exploi- tation and use of energy and other resources has primarily been for the production of luxury or wasteful products and services (such as arma- ments and tourism) enjoyed by the world's elites, while the basic needs of the majority of the world's population remained unsatisfied. This comprehensive discussion of energy and resources must focus on the unequal and irrational distribution of such resources, and the need for radical changes in lifestyles and technology.